State Creation Proponents to Defend Requests Before NASS — Kalu
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has said that proponents of new states from the Southeast will soon appear before the National Assembly to defend their requests.
Kalu disclosed this when leaders of the Aba State Movement from the Ukwa/Ngwa bloc of Abia State, led by the pioneer Attorney-General, Chief Theo Nkire, visited him in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said all groups seeking new states would be invited to present data on population, economic viability, and sustainability.
“You will be called upon to defend your request,” Kalu said, adding that a public hearing would be held in early November for Southeast stakeholders to justify their proposals.
The Deputy Speaker recalled that the Joint Committee on Constitution Review recently approved, in principle, the creation of an additional state in the Southeast to ensure equity among the geopolitical zones.
Chief Nkire said the Aba State Movement, dating back to 1954, remains the oldest and most viable agitation.
He listed the proposed Aba State as comprising Isiala Ngwa North and South, Aba North and South, Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, and Ukwa East and West LGAs.
Nkire noted that Ohanaeze Ndigbo endorsed the creation of Aba State in 2018, describing it as a moral and strategic step toward equity and balanced development.
